


Closet Space

by Lieju



Category: Gaston (Bande Dessinée), Spirou et Fantasio
Genre: Coming Out, F/M, M/M, Prunelle/secco my pseudoship, fake heteros
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-12
Updated: 2016-09-12
Packaged: 2018-08-14 16:08:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,124
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8020378
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lieju/pseuds/Lieju
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Prunelle is not sure why he is telling this total stranger he met while taking his son to school things he has only recently admitted to himself and will never tell his wife. Like that he is gay.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Closet Space

 

Prunelle watched his son run to his friend.

Satisfied Loctité had gotten to school safely he was just about to turn to leave when someone spoke to him.

"Hi."

 

Prunelle turned to look at the stranger. "Hello."

He hadn't seen this younger man before, so he offered his hand. "Léon Prunelle."

 

"Gaston. Lagaffe."

 

"You are-"

 

"Oh, I just brought Bertrand's sister, you see the girl with the ponytails and a bow?" He pointed at the girl who was just going inside with Prunelle's son.

"Carole. Her. I just brought her to school since her brother had to go to work early."

 

Well, that explained why he had never seen the man.

 

"I'm Loctité's father." He pointed at his son.

 

"The blond kid?"

 

"Yes. He takes after his mother. In that aspect anyway."

 

"So, you're married?"

Prunelle wasn't sure if he was just trying to make conversation. And it wasn't like he was actually interested in his marital status. Certainly not for  _ those _ kinds of reasons.

 

"Yes," he told Gaston. He added: "I don't know for how long."

That was not necessarily true.

 

"I'm gay."

That, on the other hand, was. And he was insane, going around telling that to someone he had never met, when so far he had just only admitted it to himself.

And middle of the school yard was hardly the right place for sudden confessions. What if this would cause a scene?

 

"Okay."

But the young man didn't respond in any of those kinds of ways Prunelle had feared.

Instead, he matched his steps to Prunelle's, starting to walk with him towards the parking lot.

 

"You married a woman though?"

If anything he was slightly puzzled.

 

And it wasn't like Prunelle was ever going to see him again.

So might as well be honest with him.

 

"I do love Seccotine. That's my wife. I really do. And I fooled myself into thinking it was that kind of love."

 

"Oh. So it wasn't?"

 

Prunelle shook his head. "But I tried. And I think she was fooled at a time too-"

 

He stopped.

"She knows."

Maybe that was true. Seccotine was smart enough to notice something was off about their relationship.

But had she figured it out? She was spending more and more time abroad with her work.

When it was the last time they had really talked?

 

He had to admit, he had no idea what his wife thought about the situation.

 

"I told her two weeks ago." That was a barefaced lie.

But maybe he could pretend for a moment that was the case.

 

"And what did she say?" Gaston asked. Prunelle wondered if it was idle curiosity or if he was just trying to make conversation.

 

"She had already guessed. I had been very obvious, it seems."

That was probably true.

"And she understood," he added.

 

"Well, that's nice," Gaston smiled.

 

Prunelle nodded, hoping Gaston didn't notice how he avoided his eyes.

 

"So are you gonna get divorced or something now?"

 

Prunelle glanced to Gaston, startled. "What?"

 

The younger man didn't seem to realize asking that had been inappropriate. Although maybe it wasn't. It _was_ Prunelle who had started with the personal revelations out of nowhere.

 

"Well, I just thought..."

 

"We have a child, and a house and a mortage together!"

 

"Yeah?"

 

Maybe that was why it had been a good idea not to talk this over with Seccotine.

The status quo where they both just pretended everything was the way it was supposed to be was just fine...

 

He should have just kept his mouth shut.

 

"Maybe we will get a divorce."

But it felt oddly relieving to say it out loud.

 

"I don't know how we will deal with Loctité's custody."

 

"Phuh, I'm sure it will be fine."

 

Prunelle smiled.

But he couldn't quite bring himself to say anything, so he simply nodded.

 

 

* * *

 

 

"You!"

Prunelle stared at the young man standing at his door. Gaston? He was fairly certain his name was Gaston.

 

"Yeh. Hi," Gaston told him, like him standing on Prunelle's door was not a completely horrible and life-shattering event.

 

"Hello?" Seccotine joined them on the door. "You are?"

 

Prunelle was starting to feel faint.

 

Gaston didn't seem to notice the other man starting to look nauseous. "My name is Gaston Lagaffe. I'm here to pick Carole up."

 

Prunelle stared at Gaston's left ear, hoping Seccotine's attention was on anything else but him.

 

He couldn't even bring himself to regret making a huge mess of everything. He was sort of feeling like thinking in general was a bit out of his reach at the moment.

 

"Ah, of course," Seccotine said. "Would you like to come in?"

 

"Sure."

 

He stepped inside, slipping past Prunelle.

 

"Nice house," Gaston told him.

 

"Hmgh." Prunelle closed the door and walked after him.

 

The young man was wearing the same green jumper he had at the school.

Somehow that felt important.

Prunelle wondered if he could avoid the catastrophe somehow, now that Seccotine had disappeared somewhere, presumably to get Carole,

 

Tell Gaston to keep his mouth shut?

 

Get him to leave?

 

Throw him out of the window and tell Seccotine he had thought he was a bird and was probably on drugs and nothing he would say should be taken seriously?

 

Before he could do anything his wife came back downstairs with their son and the girl Gaston was here to get.

Gaston turned his attention to them. "Hi, Carole! Ready to go?"

 

The girl nodded.

"Okay."

 

Gaston bent down to Loctité's level. "Hi. You're Loctité, right? My name's Gaston."

The boy hid behind his mother. "Hi."

 

Gaston stood up. "Oh, you're a shy one? You take after your mom then?"

 

"Hardly," Seccotine laughed. "And he's just a bit careful with strangers."

She ruffled her son's short hair. "Aren't you?"

 

"Yeah."

 

"Anyway, I should be going," Gaston told them, "Carole, let's go."

 

He took the girl's hand, and turned to leave. "So, we'll be going then." He gave Prunelle a smile. "Bye."

 

And then he was gone.

 

Prunelle watched the door close behind him.

 

And nothing had happened.

Gaston hadn't revealed his secret, Seccotine hadn't noticed, everything was the way it had been before he had appeared on his doorstep.

 

And to his surprise, Prunelle was disappointed.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Prunelle stared at his wife, sitting in the armchair on the other side of their living room.

 

She was reading a book. Prunelle realized he didn't know what the book was.

They had used to talk about things like those...

 

Have actual discussions.

But now, even after their son had gone to bed, they would just both do their own thing, not talking, even if they were sitting in the same room.

 

"Secco."

 

"Hm?" She glanced up from her book.

 

"We need to talk."

 

 


End file.
